Sectional edge molding for composite furniture top construction



J. H. PAGE April 1, 1941.

Filed Dec 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1, 1941. J. H. PAGE 2,236,855

SECTIONAL EDGE MOLDING FOR COMPOSITE FURNITURE TOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 30, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 yo fwd, 4 W w 5.

Patented Apr. 1, 1941 SECTIONAL EDGE MOLDING FOR COMPOS- ITE FURNITURE TOP CONSTRUCTION John H. Page, Muskegon, Mich., assignor to The Shaw-Walker Company, Muskegon, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 30, 1938, Serial No. 248,557

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in composite furniture top construction and particularly to a novel edge and cornermolding for use therein. The invention as shown herein, though not limited thereto, is applied to desk or table top construction and more particularly to those made of metal.

In an application for patent made by myself and one John S. Burdick, filed October 19, 1938, Serial No. 235,840, was shown and described a furniture top construction to which my improved edge and corner molding is applicable. As shown and described in said application, the edge moldings are made of the predetermined length of the end and side edges of the furniture top to which it is applied.

The object of the present invention is to provide edge and corner moldings comprised of sections or units adapted to form a continuous edge molding; to be combined with the corner unit to form a continuous molding at the angle of the furniture top; said units being so formed at their extremities that adjacent units are automatically aligned with each other and at the same time small variations in spacing of the units are possible without apparent lack of continuity.

Another object of the invention is to provide an edge molding of the kind made up of units in which a unit may be removed and/or replaced without removing adjacent units.

Another object of the invention is to provide a molding in which the units are made of the same or of different lengths and are adapted to be combined to form continuous moldings of varying lengths.

These and other advantages of the invention will appear more clearly as I proceed with my specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a furniture or table top provided with my improved molding.

Figure 2 is a View representing a partial horizontal section through the molding on an enlarged scale in a plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear view of one of the molding units.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing two units with a spacing member adapted to join proximate ends of said units when they are brought into engagement therewith.

Figure 5 is a like view with a different type of spacing member.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a desk top provided with the improved molding showing the use of the spacing members such as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section on an enlarged scale showing the form of the units at their ends.

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views of units of the improved molding looked at from opposite ends.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the metal furniture top to which the molding is to be applied.

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a corner piece.

Figure 11 is a perspective view showing the application of said corner piece to the metal top construction shown in Figure 9.

- Referring now to that embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings: The improved edge molding in its simplest form is comprised: of a plurality of units similar in contour and adapted to be mounted at one or more edges of a furniture top to form a decorative, continuous molding. It is designed more particularly for use with a top of composite construction including a fiat metal top plate provided at its edge with a depending angular flange, the horizontal member of which extends beyond the metal top plate as in the case of the furniture top construction described in the application hereinbefo-re referred to.

, Such metal top is shown in Figure 9 where 20 indicates the flat metal top plate; 2| indicates a depending angular flange on said plate; and 22 indicates the horizontal member of said flange.

The improved molding is adapted to be applied and secured to the depending angular flange 2| in finishing relation to the metal top plate 29 and any covering or panel thereon (in case such is used) as shown in Figure 1 where 23 indicates the molding as a whole. The top plate 20 and the depending angular flange 2| are preferably rounded at the corners of the furniture top construction in which they are included, and corner pieces 24 of molding are used to fill the space between two proximate side and. end edges of the top plate.

25 indicates a section or unit of the improved molding. It may be made of any suitable material, but is preferably cast from a plastic material which is colored or otherwise treated to match or contrast with the particular furniture topwith which it is associated. It may have any desired transverse contour or section, such for example as that shown in Figure 5, but has an upright fiat back face 26 and flat bottom face 21 (see Figure 7) disposed at an angle to fit the angular depending flange 2| to which it is to be secured. Preferably, when of plastic material, the unit is made hollow as indicated at 28 in Figures 2 and 3, but has solid ends 29, 30 which are tapped and threaded to receive screws 3| which take through apertures 32 in the depending angular flange 2| and hold the unit moldings in place.

To provide joints between the units when assembled on the depending angular flange 2|, one end of the unit is preferably formed with an inwardly beveled depression 33 and the other end is formed with an outwardly beveled. projection 34 (as shown in Figures 2, 3, 6 7 and 8) so that when an end of the first kind is engaged with an end of the second kind in the proximate unit, the two units will interlock and automatically align with each other. The inwardly jection 34 extends into said depression, as shown in Figures 2 and 6 A part of the rim or flange provided by the inwardly beveled depression 33' is cut away at the bottom, as shown at 33 in Figure 7, where it is concealed from view as shown in Figure 2. This permits removal of any unit includedin an edge molding, without the necessity of detaching either of the adjacent units which operation is facilitated by the depth of the depression aforesaid. This will be obvious from an examination of Figure 2.

Since the end of one unit partially penetrates the adjacent unit, (see Figure 6 a considerable clearance is possible without an apparent opening between units. Thus in. addition to aligning and strengthening the units comprising the complete molding, the interlocking feature together with the emphasized jointing makes it possible to increase or diminish the space between units sufficiently to compensate for manufacturing variations which might occur in the length and width of the furniture top to which the molding units are applied, or for manufacturing variations which might occur in the length of the molding units themselves.

A variation in the assembly of the units is shown in expanded relation in Figure 5. Here a thin strip 35 conforming to the contour of the units is employed to form and cover the joint between the units, which in this case are spaced apart so that their proximate ends do not engage, so for example as shown in Figure 2.

Still another form is shown in expanded relation in Figure 4. In this case an intermediate short unit 36 having the same general profile as the molding unit is adapted to be secured to the furniture top. The opposite ends of this intermediate unit are both formed with the inwardly beveled depressions 33, while the proximate ends of the units 25 are both formed with the outwardly beveled projections 34. Said unit is secured to the depending angular flange 2| in the manner hereinbefore described. If it is short as shown in Figure 4, it will be secured in place by a single screw 3|; whereas, if it is longer as shown in Figure 2 at 36 it may require two screws 3| to secure it in place.

These shorter intermediate: units not only make possible a closer adjustment of the length of the assembly of the larger units to accom modate different furniture tops of different lengths and Widths, but also provide a means for decorative inserts between the main longer units. Said decorative features may obviously be widely varied while still employing the main units which may be of simple contour with little or no treatment themselves for decorative purposes.

In Figure 10 is shown a corner unit 31, which is shown in Figure 11 applied to the corner of the furniture top. The opposite ends of the corner units are formed in the same way as the other units 25 with which they are to be interlocked. They may be made to conform to corners of various radii and may be of varying lengths from end to end to extend at different distances about the corner of the furniture top.

The main decorative effect is produced at the joints between the units. This may be varied by the treatment of the contour at the ends of the units. As illustrated, one or more alternate transverse grooves 49, 46 may be formed at or near the ends of the units as shown in Figures 2 and 3,.or said grooves may be omitted as shown in Figures 4 and 5. Again, the continuous molding may be comprised of a plurality of longer units 25 alternating with the shorter units 36 which are half the length of the longer units, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Another effect may be produced by alternating the longer units 25 with such short units, as unit 34, as shown in Figure 6, or by interposing between the longer units a piece 35 as shown in Figure 5. It is obvious that many and various effects may be produced by the improved molding.

I claim as my invention:

An edge molding for composite furniture top construction comprising in combination with a flat metal top with a depending angular flange,

. a plurality of units of similar transverse contour,

each unit being provided at one end with an inwardly beveled depression and at the other end with an outwardly beveled projection, said units when assembled having the outwardly beveled projection of one unit partially penetrating the inwardly beveled depression of the adjacent unit to permit relative expanding of the joints without destroying the apparent continuity of the molding, means associated with each unit for removably securing it to said angular flange, and the rim of the inwardly beveled depression of one or more units being cut away at the bottom to permit the removal of said one or more units without detaching any of the units adjacent to said one or more units.

- JOHN H. PAGE. 

